Aikido and the Aikikai, where does it go from here?
Chris Li translating for Mitsuteru Ueshiba Waka-sensei
Waikiki Yacht Club, Honolulu Hawaii - February 2010
Mitsuteru Ueshiba (Waka-Sensei), the great-grandson of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba, made his first visit to Hawaii in February 2010.
Personally, I have been able to train under three generations of the Ueshiba family - some people at that seminar, and many of my instructors, have trained with all four, starting with O-Sensei to Kisshomaru Doshu to Moriteru Doshu to Mitsuteru Waka-Sensei.
Waka-Sensei himself is the first generation of the Ueshiba family teaching Aikido that did not have a chance to meet the Founder.
Among those practicing Aikido worldwide there are many people holding Dan ranks today who hadn't even begun Aikido when Kisshomaru Doshu passed away.
This means that we are finally getting far enough away from the origin to see what has (and hasn't) worked organizationally, and for the traditional ties that have bound Aikido together to this time to come to a pivotal transition point.
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Take the initiative from the beginning. This is Aikido.
Shigenobu Okumura sensei in 1985 giving advice before promotion examinations
Shigenobu Okumura was one of the senior instructors at the post-war Aikikai Hombu dojo, and one of only a few Aikikai instructors to have started pre-war.
He was born in Otaru, Hokkaido in 1922, began Aikido in 1940 at Kenkoku Daigaku in Japanese occupied Manchuria with Kenji Tomiki, and passed away on August 12th 2008.
After the war he spent three years and eight months as a prisoner of war in Siberia before being repatriated to Japan.
Okumura sensei, perhaps partly because of his longstanding ties to Kenji Tomiki, acted as an intermediary between Tomiki sensei and the Ueshiba family during discussions concerning Tomiki sensei's introduction of competition to Aikido, and often advised him to change the name of his art.
This is the second part of a two part English translation of an interview with Shigenobu Okumura sensei. You may wish to read part one of the interview before moving on to this section.
This interview was published in a collection of interviews with students of the Founder published in Japanese as 開祖の横顔 ("Profiles of the Founder") in 2009. It originally appeared in the January 2008 issue of Gekkan Hiden (月刊秘伝 / "Secret Teachings Monthly"), a well known martial arts magazine in Japan.
There was a short introduction to this work in the article "Morihei Ueshiba - Profiles of the Founder". I previously posted an English translation of interviews from that collection with Nobuyoshi Tamura sensei (Part 1 | Part 2), and Hiroshi Isoyama sensei (Part 1 | Part 2).
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Encountering Aikido in Manchuria
Shigenobu Okumura sensei, from Aikido Tankyu #37
"Remembering the Late Okumura Shigenobu Shihan" (亡き奥村繁信師範の思い出)
"Budo is not just moving your body. At the end is whether to live or die, your view of life and death."
-Shigenobu Okumura
Shigenobu Okumura was one of the few pre-war students of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba to remain at Aikikai Hombu after the war. Born in Hokkaido in Taisho year 11 (1922), he was a senior instructor at Aikikai Hombu dojo until his passing on August 12th, Heisei year 19 (2008).
He began Aikido in Manchukuo - the Japanese occupied Manchurian state "Manshu-koku" under Kenji Tomiki. While a student at Manshu Kenkoku Daigaku he was drafted into military service, and was later repatriated to Japan after three years as a prisoner of war in Siberia.
I remember watching him through an entire All Japan Aikido Demonstration one year as he sat and took notes on each and every group and individual participating. I've often wondered what those notes contained, and what happened to them.
This is the first part of a two part English translation of an interview with Shigenobu Okumura sensei that was published in a collection of interviews with students of the Founder published in Japanese as 開祖の横顔 ("Profiles of the Founder") in 2009. It originally appeared in the January 2008 issue of Gekkan Hiden (月刊秘伝 / "Secret Teachings Monthly"), a well known martial arts magazine in Japan.
There was a short introduction to this work in the article "Morihei Ueshiba - Profiles of the Founder".
I previously posted an English translation of interviews from that collection with Nobuyoshi Tamura sensei (Part 1 | Part 2), and Hiroshi Isoyama sensei (Part 1 | Part 2).
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Izanagi en Izanami steken de Zwevende Brug van de Hemel over
Ingang van Izanagi Jingu op Awaji Island
De vlag is ter ere van de viering van het 1300 jarig bestaan van de Kojiki
*This is a Dutch translation of the article "Morihei Ueshiba and the Way of the Cross - Izanagi and Izanami cross the Floating Bridge of Heaven", courtesy of Ernesto Lemke of Seikokan Aikido.
Herinner je je Izanagi en Izanami nog uit "Aikido en de Zwevende Brug van de Hemel"?
Zo niet, Izanagi en zijn echtgenote (en tegelijkertijd zijn zuster) Izanami hadden de opdracht van de Goden van Japan om op de Zwevende Brug van de Hemel (Ame no Uki Hashi/ 天之浮橋) te staan en de Japanse archipel te creëren.
Maar….je zou eigenlijk eerst het andere artikel moeten lezen aangezien de rest van wat ik te vertellen heb alleen via die context duidelijk wordt.
Hier is alvast een grappig weetje: in de Nihongi, het oudste boek van de Klassieke Japanse Geschiedenis (op de Kojiki na) worden deze Goden de “Goden van In en Yo” (陽神陰神) genoemd. O-Sensei was hiervan op de hoogte en verwees regelmatig naar In en Yo in termen van Izanagi en Izanami.
In ieder geval, ik hoop dat je je ze nog kunt herinneren want zij waren een veel voorkomend element in de uitspraken en geschriften van Aikido Grondlegger Morihei Ueshiba.
Zoals je wellicht weet stonden de mannelijke en vrouwelijke God op de Zwevende Brug van de Hemel en roerden met de juwelen speer (Ama no Nuboko/ 天の沼矛) in de zee waarop zij een maalstroom creëerden. Druppels zout water vielen van de speer en vormden het eerste eiland (Onogoro Shima/ 淤能碁呂島) waarop de heilige wezens neerdaalden van de Brug naar de aarde.
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Morihei Ueshiba and Aiki, both Technical and Spiritual
"Ai - Ki" - "Ai (Love) - Ki"
The dichotomy between Aiki as a technical principle and Aiki as a spiritual principle has come up in a number of conversations recently, but I suspect that this has been a matter of discussion since Taisho year 14 (1925), upon Morihei Ueshiba's spiritual experience after defeating a young naval officer's attack with a bokuto (bokken):
武道の根源は、神の愛--万有愛護の精神--であると悟り得て、法悦の涙がとめどなく頬を流れた。
I attained the realization that the source of Budo is the love of the Gods, the spirit of Universal Loving Protection, and tears of ecstasy streamed endlessly down my cheeks.
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Masaru Takahashi Sensei on explaining Aiki
Yukiyoshi Sagawa Sohan demonstration Aiki-nage on Masaru Takahashi Sensei
Masaru Takahashi (高橋賢), one of the senior surviving students of the famous Daito-ryu instructor Yukiyoshi Sagawa, entered Sagawa Dojo on May 5th of Showa year 47 (1972).
Sokaku Takeda's Eimeroku, showing Morihei Ueshiba's Kyoju Dairi certification on the right
Yukiyoshi Sagawa (佐川幸義) was one of the senior students of Sokaku Takeda, Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei's instructor in Daito-ryu, and was actually designated as the successor to Takeda at one point in time. He began studying Daito-ryu under Takeda Sokaku after first learning the art from his father, Nenokichi Sagawa (佐川子之吉 1867–1950), who was a student and ardent supporter of Takeda, as well as a holder of a Kyoju Dairi (assistant instructor's licence) in Daito-ryu - the same license that Morihei Ueshiba himself received from Sokaku Takeda. Yukiyoshi Sagawa received his own Kyoju Dairi certification in 1932.
Takahashi Sensei instructs at the Sagawa-den Daito-ryu Aiki Budo Sagamihara branch dojo (佐川伝大東流合氣武道相模原支部), at the Daito-ryu Sagawa Dojo hombu (大東流佐川道場本部) in Kodaira city, and has published a number of books and articles researching the Japanese martial arts and Daito-ryu.
This article is an excerpt from his book "The Truth of Daito-ryu Aiki" (大東流合気の真実), which was published in Japanese by Fukushodo Co. Ltd.(http://fukushodo.com/) in September 2007.
Another excerpt from this book appears in "Sagawa Yukiyoshi, Masaru Takahashi and Breath Training in Daito-ryu".
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Takashi Sasaki on the Gokui of Aikido
Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba's Calligraphy for "Ai" ("love")
Takashi Sasaki (佐々木貴) entered Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1962. He completed a Master's program in commerce from Waseda University in 1966, and with a Ni-Dan in Aikido from Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei he departed for Germany, to work and teach Aikido. Returning to Japan in 1977, he was promoted to 7th Dan Aikikai in 2003. He is the author of "Budo Wisdom for Business" (ビジネスのための武道の智恵), and the founder of the Sasaki Aikido Institute (佐々木合気道研究所).
"Budo Wisdom for Business" (ビジネスのための武道の智恵)
This is an English translation of some thoughts by Sasaki sensei on the nature of love in Aikido. There are many interesting articles on Aikido and Aikido training by Sasaki sensei available from the Sasaki Aikido Institute website.
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Aikido movement is a spiral. Not a circle, a spiral.
The two faces of Masando Sasaki Sensei
"Aikido is the manifestation of the principles of the universe - connection and the union of opposites."
“Your belly won’t get full reading a cookbook; you have to eat!”
-Masando Sasaki Sensei
Masando Sasaki (佐々木の将人), 8th Dan, passed away on February 15th 2013 at the age of 84. Born in Yamagata Prefecture in 1929, he was a graduate in economics and law of Chuo University. Sasaki began aikido in 1954 while employed by the Self-Defense Agency, and was also was a member of the Tempukai and Ichikukai, and a priest of the Yamakage San’in Shinto sect.
This is the third part of a three part English translation of an interview with Masando Sasaki that was published in a collection of interviews with students of the Founder published in Japanese as "Profiles of the Founder" (開祖の横顔) in 2009. You may wish to read Part 1 and Part 2 of the interview before reading this section.
There was a short introduction to "Profiles of the Founder" in the article "Morihei Ueshiba - Profiles of the Founder".
Previous postings have featured English translations of interviews from that collection with Nobuyoshi Tamura sensei (Part 1 | Part 2), and Hiroshi Isoyama sensei (Part 1 | Part 2).
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Hiding in the mountains while chased by the CIA
Funeral for Masando Sasaki Sensei, February 20th 2013
Tojo Ceremony Hall in Tsurugaoka, Saitama - attended by more than 700 people
The plaque to the right of center reads "Aikido Doshu Ueshiba Moriteru"
合氣は宇宙法則の陰陽結びの道で
美しく投げ美しく受身を取る稽古から
切磋琢磨の和の武道である
Aiki is the Way of the universal principle of In-Yo connection
Throwing beautifully in training, falling beautifully in training
Assiduous cultivation of the Budo of Peace
-Masando Sasaki Sensei
Masando Sasaki (佐々木の将人), 8th Dan, passed away on February 15th 2013 at the age of 84. He was one of the early post-war students of Aikido Founder Morihei Ueshiba, entering Aikikai Hombu Dojo in 1954.
He was a colorful character, and often controversial. Concerned with the course of Japanese political affairs, he set up a spy school together with some former members the of the Nakano spy school (Morihei Ueshiba was an instructor at the Nakano spy school until 1942). Exposed in the United States through an article in Time Magazine, he was forced to resign from the Japanese Defense Agency.
This is the second part of a three part English translation of an interview with Masando Sasaki that was published in a collection of interviews with students of the Founder published in Japanese as "Profiles of the Founder" (開祖の横顔) in 2009. You may wish to read Part 1 of the interview before reading this section.
There was a short introduction to "Profiles of the Founder" in the article "Morihei Ueshiba - Profiles of the Founder".
Previous postings have featured English translations of interviews from that collection with Nobuyoshi Tamura sensei (Part 1 | Part 2), and Hiroshi Isoyama sensei (Part 1 | Part 2).
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Falling in love with O-Sensei's face
Masando Sasaki Shihan at Aikikai Hombu Dojo
Masando Sasaki (佐々木の将人), 8th Dan, passed away on February 15th 2013 at the age of 84.
Born in 1929, he began training with Morihei Ueshiba in 1954. He could be outspoken and controversial, but almost always entertaining.
He was a graduate in economics and law from Chuo University, and published a dozen or more books in Japanese. He gave lectures throughout Japan on his particular method of viewing the human condition (佐々木説法).
This is the first part of a three part English translation of an interview with Masando Sasaki that was published in a collection of interviews with students of the Founder published in Japanese as "Profiles of the Founder" (開祖の横顔) in 2009.
There was a short introduction to "Profiles of the Founder" in the article "Morihei Ueshiba - Profiles of the Founder".
Previous postings have featured English translations of interviews from that collection with Nobuyoshi Tamura sensei (Part 1 | Part 2), and Hiroshi Isoyama sensei (Part 1 | Part 2).
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